The Adverse Days of Ariadne Citrusseed
by TheVioletRaven
Summary: The story of an orphaned girl who is recruited by V.F.D when Count Olaf murders her parents. She works with Lemony Snicket and Quigley Quagmire to find the Baudelaire orphans and the Quagmire triplets after the events in The End. DISCONTINUED! Sorry :
1. Chapter 1

The Adverse Days of Ariadne Citrusseed

By Eliza Folly

Chapter One

If you are one of those innocent, happily unbeknownst citizens of the world who enjoys reading about ponies and other pleasurable subjects, I strongly suggest you put down this book right now. Or more notably drop it into a deep, icy lake, and run as far away as possible, take an automobile, bus, aeroplane, boat, I don't mind. Just leave this wretched book and all its sorrow and misfortune to fade into a distant memory. Save yourself from the madness of this world. Do not read any further!

Good. Now I can trust you. As you have braved the first page of this callous book I know you are not afraid to learn of the hardships that are about to befall a young girl. As in this book, there is no happy ending. As for that matter, there is no happy beginning or even a happy middle. That is because from the moment Ariadne Citrusseed's life began, she was doomed to an existence of misery. I devoted my life to researching her all the unfortunate events that occurred in the youngster's lifetime. This cheerless story began in 1969 when a very pregnant Bethany Citrusseed went for a walk along Briny Beach alone to watch the sun set behind the water. Her husband, Christopher was captain of a ship that sailed from Hazy Harbour three days ago. She had not seen or heard from him since.

Bethany Citrusseed was known throughout the city for her intense beauty. Her slightly curled chocolate coloured hair blew softly behind her in the wind; her pale facade held her faultless features in place and her silkily dainty hands rested on the bump created by the small life growing inside her. On this day she wore a long, dark violet dress which billowed at her ankles and black lace-up boots shielded her feet from the sand. She looked out into the horizon and sighed, breathing in the cool sea air. Unexpectedly, she began to feel the small baby kicking and pushing. Bethany knew she was about to give birth. On a beach. Alone. After two hours of agony and pushing, a petite, a word which here means 'tiny', baby girl was born. Although this baby was merely minutes old, you could already make out her tiny button nose, fluffy red lips and tiny ears, much like Bethany's. Bethany Citrusseed cradled her daughter and cried tears of joy as the baby screamed. Although she seemed contented, a small part of her heart was filled with despair for her husband, who didn't see their baby girl being born and was seemingly lost at sea. This may seem not cause for immense sadness, however you haven't seen what happened next in the small girl's life.

As Bethany Citrusseed sat in the sand with her stunning baby girl, she did not notice the lanky shadow that had been cast over her.

"Ahem. May I be of some assistance, my lady?" a man's voice cut through the happiness with a malicious edge. An exhausted Bethany jumped at the sudden intrusion and turned around to see a tall, slender man with only one eyebrow and a large nose looking down on her. He smiled with a wicked look in his eye.

"Uh, it would be of great help if you would call a taxi to take me back into the city please. You see I have just given birth here all alone." She croaked as she tried to stand up with the newborn baby in her arms. The one eye browed man was not usually keen on helping others; however he felt strange feelings towards this beautiful woman in need of some help. He had never felt it before; therefore he was quite baffled by his own actions. His face formed a distorted sort of 'loving' smile and his eyes became less intensely sharp and dark.

"I will drive you home myself. My car is parked just on Lousy Lane. Here" The man offered her his hand and she took it with gratitude in her smile. "You may come back to my mansion, I will allow you to get cleaned up and provide clothes for you and your baby." As Bethany walked back towards Lousy Lane with this stranger, she cradled her baby who was wrapped up in Bethany's shawl. However much he loved this woman, his compassion changed when he noticed he tattoo on her left ankle. His eyes turned colder that a dead man's heart and he frowned with concentrated anger.

She was a member of V.F.D - a secret organisation which would change the life of the child that Bethany was holding. The man tightened his grip on Bethany's hand and waist and began to lead her towards the cliffs of Briny Beach.

"Shall we take one last look at the sunset, my dear, before we depart?" He hissed as the cliff edge drew closer. Bethany, who was by this time extremely tired, was aware of the gentleman's over-kindness and became suspicious of his goal in aiding her.

"Alright, kind sir, I do love the sunset. It helps me relax after a hard day in the city. My husband and I live near Hazy Harbour, where he is captain of a ship named 'Ariadne's Passage' after our daughter." She smiled down at the gurgling baby. The strange man smiled mockingly, masking his new-found hatred for the woman he had fell for just a few moments ago.

"Mhmm, yes, it is most peaceful up here on the cliff top. I am not used to the fresh cool air and thick green grass, as I live deep in the city." He scorned with a vicious edge on his tongue. The two adults stood looking out at the sun dying into the hours of darkness, Bethany's violet dress billowing at her ankles and her bare shoulders shivering in the stranger's icy grasp. Bethany sighed and turned to face the man.

"What is your name, dear man? I want to thank you for your upmost kindness." She smiled as best she could and looked at the male's sharp face.

The ominous chap cleared his throat and his eyes began to boil with evil, "My name is Olaf. Count Olaf." He sneered as he spoke the dreaded words. As the name floated into Bethany's ears she felt her entire world collapse around her. Her arms weakened, her legs became jelly and repulsion of the man whom she trusted. She almost dropped her baby daughter with the astonishment. Olaf snatched the girl from Bethany's grasp and cackled with triumph. Count Olaf was a truly cruel man who only had eyes for luxuriance. He is hated by all of the good V.F.D and has committed many crimes against them. He was a member of V.F.D. too; however there had been a schism, a word which here means 'split', a few years back, and the society broke into two sides, the good side that carried on with the work that the society was created for, and the bad side, who have gone against everything that the V.F.D stood for.

"Ariadne, my baby, give her back! What is wrong with you, Olaf? You are a sick-minded man! My side of V.F.D are searching for you and your troupe of 'actors' as we speak. You will pay for the deaths our friends!" She roared, the icy sea wind biting at her back.

"Ooh, Ariadne. What a beautiful name. I'm sure you and you're husband would have been very pleased, Bethany. Too bad you both will never get to be that happy family." Count Olaf snorted and strode arrogantly towards Bethany, who was at the edge of the cliff. "Goodbye, my dear, beautiful Bethany. If only your loyalties didn't lie on the wrong side. Then we could have been happy together"

"I'd have never loved you, Olaf! I know you sunk my husband's ship! I was searching for you with the others so we could send you to prison where you belong!" Bethany cried over the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below her.

Olaf took another step so that he was face to face with the valiant young woman. Her face was red and windswept, salty tear trickled down her once flawless face and her eyes were a chocolaty mixture of immense fear and misery. The monstrous man muttered something in her ear then put Ariadne on the grass a few paces away. He returned to Bethany and with a pure evil smile, shoved her over the edge of the cliff to a bitter, watery death. Count Olaf, turned on his heels, and picked up baby Ariadne. In the space of near enough an hour, Ariadne had lost her mother, learned of her father's death and been kidnapped by the most horrifyingly dreadful man the world had ever seen. She began to whimper quietly as Olaf bundled her into the back of an automobile and drove down Lousy Lane towards the city. As the malice Count began to sing along quite badly to an opera song on the radio, Ariadne felt the chill of doom fall over her heart. It made her feel cold and lost in the dark world she had been dropped into.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

As you can see, Ariadne's misfortune began at birth. When both her parents were slaughtered by Count Olaf and she was stolen by him as well. Once Count Olaf had arrived at his home on 663 Dark Avenue, he picked up the baby Ariadne and took her inside. The house's interior was a very filthy, dimly lit and quite unpleasant to be in. The main entryway has one bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling, a stuffed lion's head nailed to the wall, and a bowl of apple cores on a small wooden table. Olaf walked through to the dining room, where a long, thin table with two chairs either side. On the walls were pictures of the Count and a bunch of strangely deformed looking people including two white-faced women and a hook-handed man and one who looked neither a man nor woman. Ariadne looked up at Count Olaf with her big green eyes and he had a sinister smile on his face.

"Ariadne, this is where you will be staying for the remainder of your life, my darling." He chuckled as he came to a set of unstable, shaky metal stairs which wound up a lofty brick tower.

It took 10 minutes to climb the spiraling staircase which then opened up into a circular room. The walls of the room were peculiarly coated in pictures of eyes, and Adriane had noticed that the Count had a tattoo of an eye on his ankle. There was a desk facing a small window that has various things peppered on it. Empty wine bottles lay here and there and there were a few candles lit on the desk. Milky moonlight flooded through another large window which was above a grimy, deteriorating cradle which looked like it had been sat in salt water for 10 years before allowing wood ants to crawl all over it. A menacing grin crawled across his face like the spider which was building its web on the windowsill as he held Ariadne out in front of him.

"Ariadne, this is your cradle. I will go fetch you- " what the Count was about to say was 'fetch you some new clothes' however he was cut off when four people burst through the creaky oak door. Olaf quickly turned around to face the intruders, still holding Ariadne in his arms.

"Olaf, unhand that child now!" cried a young woman who had a stern face and straight black hair. There were two women and two men. The black haired stern faced women, a mousy brown haired woman with a kinder face but still hard in the Count's presence, a man who looked similar to the mousy brown haired woman, however he wore a grey hat and suit and had dark eyes and finally a man who looked similar to the grey suit man, but younger and wearing younger clothes.

"Beatrice Baudelaire, what a pleasure it is to see you again! And Lemony and Jacques Snicket too! Have you all come to congratulate me only murdering Bethany and Christopher Citrusseed? Now I guess their large wealth will have to come to their dear Ariadne's husband, eh?" Count Olaf snorted like an over-indulged pig. Ariadne watched the Count's eyes as they fell onto the blonde woman whose hair was tied up in a bun, they seemed to soften a fraction, whereas hers hardened and she frowned. "My dear Kit, I thought Bethany Citrusseed was a striking woman, then I saw you again, darling." He smiled slightly, seemingly lost in Kit's brown eyes.

"Don't call me darling, you villain." Kit's face was frosty as she scowled at Olaf. The Count's smile quickly turned to an unbreakable grimace. The black haired woman said to be Beatrice stepped forward and stood in front of Count Olaf.

"We have called the police and the rest of V.F.D. Hand over the child and maybe we'll let you escape. Do we have a deal?" Beatrice bravely compromised.

Kit stood in front of the door acting as a guard and the two men, Lemony and Jacques, were surrounding the villain. A malice smile spread like a disease over Count Olaf's face. His next act was too quick for the four people to react or stop him. He pushed Ariadne into Beatrice's arms and leaped out of the large tower window, shattering the fragile glass into tiny fragments. Kit and Lemony ran to the dilapidated window and peered down to find that Count Olaf had disappeared into the night and also slipped from their grasp once more. Kit sighed wistfully and Lemony stood by the window gazing into the twilight. Jacques had begun searching through the papers scattered on Count Olaf's desk analysing every detail to see if they were of ay use. You may be thinking 'What about Beatrice?' Well, she was dazzled by the tiny baby's already large green eyes and what she had been through already in her very austere life. Ariadne studied Beatrice's face carefully, feeling slight déjà vu, a phrase which here means 'feeling as if you've seen this face before', of course Ariadne had never saw this woman's face, what she felt was the kindness and tiredness in her eyes reminded her of her own mother. Her gentle teal eyes, pointed nose and thin pink lips smile slightly. Her face looked tired, as if she were working too hard and not getting enough from it. She cradled Ariadne softly in her arms and for a moment was lost in thought. This innocent child who had been cruelly detached from its mother and father so early on in its life, Beatrice thought of her own children, Violet and baby Klaus who had only been born a few months ago. The sudden sound of Jacques's voice startled Beatrice.

"I guess we lost him again. I called the V.F.D. and police to inform them of our blunder" Jacques ran his hand through his hair and opened the door that revealed the fragile staircase.

"Don't call it a blunder, my friend. We saved the child from Olaf's perilous plans. I believe her name is Ariadne." Beatrice smiled warmly and she walked through the tower door and began to descend the rickety stairs. Kit Snicket followed her, then Jacques and finally Lemony, who was thwarted by losing the devious Count once more, allowing him to roam the city murdering more and more V.F.D members every day. Today it was Ariadne's parents. Who would be next on his list?

"Lemony, come on! You don't actually want to stay here, do you?" Called his sister, from the substructure, a word which here means 'base or bottom', of the building. Lemony Snicket took one last look into the inky blackness of the cold night before following his siblings and Beatrice out into their automobile. Beatrice drove the car through the sleeping city as Kit became acquainted with the now orphaned child. Kit began to ponder on what would become of Ariadne now, as she was completely alone in the large pitiless world. Ariadne yawned quietly and snuggled into her mother's torn, soiled shawl, the familiar smell bringing back cherished memories of that overjoyed face and beautiful looks. As Ariadne's eyelid grew heavier and the world she had been forced into faded into the darkness of her dreams, the names of the kind people who had saved her from the evil murderer swirled around her mind, she felt truly safe for the first time in her short life.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

There is an old saying that is often used by parents after their child has had a tough day. That saying is 'No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap'. It pains me to say, that if you have failed a test at school, and you go home and take a long nap, when you wake up, your grades will not have phenomenally changed to an A+-they will still be that taunting F, mocking you for the rest of the year. This was what happened to the orphaned Ariadne, once she awoke from her long and peaceful nap, the memories of what took place hours before still poisoned her mind. Her life wasn't about to get any better, either.

"Just watch over her until she wakes up, then alert us, ok Dilly?" Ariadne caught the last sentence that Kit Snicket said before she heard the door close quietly behind her.

"Okay!" a young girl's voice answered before she appeared in front of Ariadne's cradle.

Once the youngster opened her eyes fully she began to examine her strange new surroundings. She had found herself in a turquoise square room with a window just above where she was lying. A desk that was cluttered with papers and coloured pencils, another bed child-sized that was loaded with stuffed animals and books, on the walls were child's drawings of people and animals. As you may have noticed, this wasn't the usual layout of an adult's office. As Ariadne was about to find out, this was the room of a five year old orphan who was a member of V.F.D.

"Oh ooh! Hello there, little one!" chirped a sweet voice. Ariadne blinked as a minute girl leant over the bars of her cradle, smiling happily at her with large sapphire eyes, her vivid red hair hanging down like tails of a pony. She had an intelligent look about her, her face was slightly chubby and brown freckles peppered her cheeks. She wore a battered pink t-shirt and black skirt and on her feet blue swompers, looking like an explorer. "Are you okay? You had quite a day yesterday, huh? Well, you're safe here. My name is Armadillo Arthurstone; it's lovely to meet you. I hear your name is Ariadne, right? That was the name of the Greek girl who helped Theseus escape the Minotaur's labyrinth!" She giggled.

Ariadne blinked and smiled wide, feeling happy with this small girl who had seemed to go through same trauma she did. Armadillo closed the picture book and looked down at Ariadne. Armadillo pulled down the bars of the white cradle and yanked up a chair next to Ariadne, who was now sitting up curiously watching Armadillo's every move.

"So, how did you end up here, Ariadne? Oh yeah, you can't speak. Well, I'll tell you how I came to be a part of all this." Armadillo said quietly. "Okay then. Well I was born a whole FIVE years ago in 1964. My momma was called Clarice and my papa was called Stefan. I had a big brother called Jared who was 15 years old and my twin sister is called Raven." the youngster began. "When my twin and I were born, my brother Jared had to take us away from our parents to live with my grandmother. It was because they were part of V.F.D, like your parents. One day, when we were 2 years old, while my grandmother was out, Jared bundled us into his car and told Raven and I we were going to see momma and papa. We were very pleased, of course. Then we came to a big, dark warehouse that I'd never seen before. Jared led me and Raven into the scary building and our parents were in an office there. It was lovely to see them after TWO whole years. Then the worst thing happened. A crazy horrible man burst in with a bunch of strange-looking people and tried to kill us!" Armadillo sniffed woefully as her eyes became red and puffy. Although she was close to tears retelling her horrid tale, she continued as Ariadne held onto her every word. "They… threatened to set fire to the headquarters with everyone but them still inside. They wanted something called the 'Snicket and Baudelaire Files'. I had no idea what was happening, I just held onto my sister's hand. That was when Kit and Beatrice grabbed Raven and I and darted from the scene. As we were carried out of the building, loads of other people who worked with my parents ran out of the building looking very frightened." Armadillo wiped a tear from her scarlet cheek. "Before I knew it there was thick black smoke billowing from my mother's office and a crimson flame burnt the entire building. The terrible man with the shiny eyes escaped with his band of freakish people, b-b-but my parents and Jared didn't." Armadillo managed to squeeze out the last words before she burst into tears.

Ariadne crawled over to her and reached up with her miniature hand to pat Armadillo on the shoulder. Armadillo looked up from her hands and smiled softly at Ariadne. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, stood up from her stool and walked to her desk.

"This is a picture of my parents." Armadillo sat back down next to Ariadne and showed her a black and white photograph of two people. "It was taken on their wedding day. Of course I wasn't born then, but they looked so happy. Kit gave me this picture when she set up my room in the new headquarters. Lemony Snicket, the man with the grey hat and suit, and Sally Sebald take turns looking after me at the headquarters. Kit, Lemony and Sally are all terribly nice people. They care for Raven and I and keep us safe from that man with the eye tattoo. My sister is like my best friend, and even though we both miss momma and papa and Jared very much, we are both very happy with Kit, Lemony, Jacques, Beatrice and Sal-"

If you have ever heard of the phrase 'Speak of the Devil' you will know it means that if you and a friend (or enemy or acquaintance or complete stranger) are talking about a certain person and they freakishly happen to walk into the room or onto the boat which will help you escape from the police, you might say 'Speak of the Devil' for no apparent reason to inform them of the weirdness of the situation. The phrase doesn't imply that that person is the Devil just that it is strange that they were to appear at the exact moment when they entered to conversation. To Armadillo's bewilderment, at that exact moment, Kit, Lemony and Jacques Snicket, Beatrice Baudelaire, Sally Sebald and Raven Arthurstone burst through the feeble wooden door in a blur of colour and skin, just as she had finished speaking about them.

Armadillo turned and gasped. Ariadne's mouth took the shape of an O as she leant on Armadillo's knee to get a better view of the jumble of people.

"Speak of the Devil!"Armadillo exclaimed, as she picked up Ariadne and walked towards the small crowd. Kit Snicket pushed to the front of the pack, her hair messed up and her glasses crookedly hanging on her nose, with a firm expression.

"Armadillo, pack up your things. We need to move to a new location, and quickly." Kit took Ariadne from the young girl's arms and passed her onto Beatrice Baudelaire. A girl around five years old emerged from the huddle and smiled somewhat at Armadillo. Her short black hair which curled at the tips bobbed as she walked, her navy blue eyes looked like pools of moonlight. Armadillo's twin wore a long dark indigo button up dress with a large white collar, and shiny black lace up leather shoes on her dainty feet. Although she was the exact same age as Armadillo, Raven looked older and more responsible than her sister, like she understood the ongoing struggle to keep V.F.D from their enemy's fiery grasp. Raven dashed around the room, if you'd pardon the pun, grabbing all her books, pencils and stuffed animals and placing them carefully into a battered suitcase.

"But we've been here so long, Kit. Why do we have to move?" Armadillo queried as she gathered up her drawings and books and coloured pencils and stuffed them into a yellow backpack.

"Count Olaf- I mean the man with the shiny eyes is coming here. He found out where our headquarters are and he's coming, so we have to hurry!" Kit Snicket said anxiously and she took the packed case from Raven and looked around the almost empty room. A sad look misted over Kit's eyes as the remembered when doing her duty was a safe prospect. Now it caused her misery and brings her close to death regularly.

"The others are leaving now with all the books and files in the four trucks outside. We are going to disguise them as delivery trucks and the car will be camouflaged as a mail truck." Beatrice explained, grabbing a few blankets for Ariadne.

"Ok, I'm ready. How far away is the new Headquarters?" Armadillo said, pulling her bulging backpack onto her back.

"It's in the Mortmain Mountains, which is quite a way away. So we'll have go now if we want to prevent them following us. Come on." Jacques clarified, as he took one last look at the room before taking Raven's hand and leaving, Sally Sebald following close behind.

"Lemony, will you hold Ariadne a moment please? I have to collect one last thing from my office." Beatrice Baudelaire asked, smiling slightly.

"Yes, of course, Beatrice." Lemony smiled and took Ariadne before watching the young woman swiftly disappear out of the room, her curly brunette hair billowing behind her like a cape. Ariadne noticed Lemony had a sad yearning look in his eyes as he looked at Beatrice, whilst in hers there was a guilty, awkward edge. But before Ariadne was able to analyze the situation, an ear-splitting _crash _echoed through the teal room and the unnatural smell of smoke slowly began to tickle their noses. Lemony placed Ariadne in one of Armadillo's play strollers and picked up his and Kit's cases.

"Kit, we have to get out of here! They're already here! It's _him!_" Lemony cried grabbing his sister by the arm and yanking her down the stairs, the black smoke by now beginning to thicken the air.

"Lemony! Where's Ariadne! Where's Armadillo!" Kit yelled as her younger sibling dragged her from the now burning warehouse. "Lemony! The children are still in there!"

But it was too late. The door of the warehouse disguised as a dairy farm disguised as a lumber mill hidden on the edge of Finite Forest was already engulfed in orange flickering flames, as was all the offices downstairs, the kitchen and the colossal library.

"Kit, Lemony, where are you?" Armadillo gasped, as she turned to see that the two adults had vanished from the room and nauseous smoke polluted the air. Ariadne began to cry and Armadillo followed to sound to the small orphan. "Don't worry, my little friend. I'll get us out!" Ariadne looked up through the smoke to find Armadillo's determined face, her eyes red and her ruby hair turning black.

Armadillo coughed violently as the smoke became a shroud around the two orphans. The youngster stumbled towards the door, pushing Ariadne's stroller, which was enveloped in soot, as was the entire contents of the room. She twisted the round handle and staggered onto the landing. The sound of burning from the foundation of the warehouse spluttered up the large staircase. Armadillo wheezed and held herself up with Ariadne's stroller as the baby cried louder than ever, the sound in her voice becoming scared and threatened, as if a lion was approaching. The increase of Ariadne's screams was not due to the revolting smell infesting their noses, or the fact that her life was in danger once more, but due to the tall, gangly man standing in front of her, the source of all the misery in her life. He smiled viciously and raised his one eyebrow.

"Hello, little Armadillo Arthurstone." The sound of his voice made the orphans' skin crawl. "Ariadne Citrusseed, what a pleasure it is to see you again." A chill slithered down Armadillo's back as the disgusting man cackled haughtily, his own shiny eyes red and irritated, his clothes torn and his hair grimier than usual. Although he seemed happy in pursuing the two children, his voice made it clear he was also in pain.

"Leave me alone, you horrid man!" Armadillo wheezed, the fire creeping slowly up the staircase now, roaring like a lion in agony. She pushed the stroller forward, but the man pushed it back with his foot, and took a step closer. "Let me go! The headquarters are falling apart! We're going to die!"

"No no my child, just and your baby friendwill die. I will miraculously escape like I always do. I just need one tiny piece of information from you." The malice male spoke with venom in his voice. He cleared his throat and smiled like a vulture closing in on its prey. "Where are the new V.F.D headquarters, my darling?"

"I'm not your darling! I will never tell you!" Armadillo screamed, ramming the stroller into his legs, Ariadne sitting up inside, staring at his grubby face.

The man, as you have hopefully guessed, was the one and only man who could do this to two orphans and not feel a drop of guilt. Count Olaf. His shiny eyes were shiny flames, almost as violent as the one raging downstairs and his mouth turned down into a sharp grimace. His jagged fingernails jutted out in front of him like claws as he went to spring up at the children.

To both the orphans and Count Olaf's extreme surprise, the forgotten woman who was so crucial in this story, leaped from behind the door of her office and _smack! _Count Olaf was lying on the sooty floorboards and Beatrice Baudelaire was in his place, the leg of a chair in hand. She had a handkerchief tied over her mouth to prevent smoke entering her lungs and her curly brown locks tied back with a ribbon.

"Armadillo, give me your hand! The building is falling apart!" Beatrice rasped, holding out her hand over Count Olaf's crumpled body. Armadillo picked up Ariadne and carefully stepped over the Count and into Beatrice's open arms. Armadillo began to cry quietly and Ariadne joined her. Beatrice smiled down at the two misfortunate orphans. As if to break up the moment of relief, the smouldering staircase finally collapsed into a mound of ash and wood, shutting off their only escape route. Beatrice quickly guided Armadillo into her office, which was cloaked in smoke. She took a photograph of her family from the wall, and behind it was a square hole in the wall-a small lift that is used to transport packages and important files throughout the building. She opened it up and turned to Armadillo.

"You have to trust me, Dilly. This will take you downstairs and into the basement. There you will be able to escape through the tunnel I showed you when you first came here." Beatrice said, helping Armadillo and Ariadne climb into the lift. She smiled sadly at them as part of the ceiling caved in, the flames spreading like a virus through the building.

"You'll be okay, right? You're going to escape right after us, right?" Armadillo whispered, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks.

Beatrice smiled, trying not to cry herself. "Of course, silly - now go! This place is going to collapse any second."

Armadillo closed the hatch and began to pull the rope which lowered them down to the basement. Ariadne huddled close to Armadillo, her filthy, black clothes causing her to cough. As the two young girls passed the lower floor they could smell the burning furniture and feel the heat radiating through the wall. Once they hit the bottom of the shaft, Armadillo gingerly opened the door to a thick curtain of darkness. Armadillo climbed out and began to rummage in her bag for something.

"Don't move, Ariadne. You might fall out of the shaft." Armadillo warned. A few seconds later she pulled out a large flashlight. The orphan flicked the switch and illuminated the room, as if she'd pulled the curtain of darkness to the side, and uncovered a colossal secret. "Wow."

The room was packed with paintings, beautiful canvas paintings, watercolours and mosaics. Once Armadillo had picked up Ariadne, the two gazed in wonder at the many pictures scattered everywhere in the basement. They were not your average paintings. There was one of a burnt down mansion, one of a dairy farm, one of a crow and one-possibly the strangest-of Beatrice Baudelaire. They intricately designed using the upmost care; each with a stunningly designed wooden frame. You could see every little detail right down to the crumbling paint of the dairy and the wrinkles in the crow's claws. To an untrained eye, these painting would just be a work of fine art, however to a member of V.F.D, these pictures held messages of great importance.

"Ariadne, these are V.F.D's secret coded paintings from the Duchess of Winnipeg's home! They are some of V.F.D's most precious objects! Why are the paintings being left behind?" Armadillo pondered, investigating the entire room. These paintings were displayed in the Duchess of Winnipeg's mansion at her Masked Ball, the last public event the member of the good V.F.D dared to attend together, to give messages to the members in a way that any intruders would be oblivious to-a clever code that only the V.F.D could invent. Armadillo's flashlight discovered a ominous passageway, behind a painting of a submarine named _The Queequeg _and a vase with the V.F.D insignia painted on it. "Ariadne, there's our escape route! We need to tell Kit about all these paintings!"

Armadillo retrieved Ariadne from the elevator shaft and began to climb into the tunnel. She crawled through on her hands and knees, Ariadne on her back holding the heavy flashlight. The orphans began to smell the fresh forest air, which was a blessing to them as for the last thirty minutes all they had smelt was the horrifying smoke created by the fire, as they climbed closer to the surface. Out of the blue, Armadillo's head smacked onto something hard and wet.

"Ouch!" Armadillo yelped, helping Ariadne down from her back and sitting up as best she could. "I think this is where we escape, Ariadne! Come on; push as hard as you can." Armadillo shoved hard on the wooden door until it finally gave way and the orphans tumbled out onto the thick jade grass.

"Armadillo, Ariadne! Children are you okay!" Kit Snicket screamed, darting towards them, closely followed by Raven, Jacques and Sally. She and Raven kneeled next to Armadillo, who was lying on the grass, and Sally picked up Ariadne as Jacques examined her.

"Kit, Raven, it's so nice to see you two!" Armadillo cried, tears flowing from her eyes, like streams flowing from a lake. "Kit, I forgot something! Beatrice!" But before the six could rejoice in reunion, there was a strident, a word which here means 'it's so loud it's make you cry with pain and sorrow', screech and crash as the headquarters finally collapsed, where it once stood a mound of ash and burning wood, the life-claiming fire almost laughing at the survivors. There was a silence in the group which can only be described as deafening. All of the seven people stared at the wreck as the last word that was said echoed in their ears. Silent tears began to fall from Kit's sooty face, Sally Sebald held Ariadne close as she began to whimper, Jacques held Raven's hand, completely taken aback and Armadillo felt guilty for what was the fault of the most menacing band of people in the world.

You may think the most devastated by this would have been Armadillo, but the one who felt his heart snap violently in two was Lemony Snicket. He was outside the small crowd of people, on his knees, staring into the ash where Beatrice was thought to be buried, along with Count Olaf. Tears trickled down his crimson cheeks. Once he broke his gaze at the rubble, Lemony Snicket held his head in his hands. He jumped as he felt a soft caring hand on his shivering shoulders. Lemony stole a glimpse at the person trying to comfort him, and he leaped forward when he realised who it was. Lemony stood to face the woman who he had loved since first sight, the woman who had astoundingly escaped a raging fire and a deranged villain.

"B-B- Beatrice." Lemony Snicket stuttered. Beatrice Baudelaire smiled her clothes torn and grubby, her face splattered with mud. Her tangled hair flowed behind her and her scratched arms rested elegantly at her sides. In Lemony's eyes, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, even after fleeing from a burning building.

Raven was the first to notice Beatrice and Lemony embracing a few paces away. She tugged at Jacques's sleeve and he looked as well.

"Kit, Sally look!" Jacques whispered, tapping Sally on the shoulder. Sally and Kit turned and so did Armadillo. She was the first to call out.

"Beatrice! You're alive!" Armadillo squealed, standing up and running toward Beatrice, who was not waiting with open arms. "How did you escape?"

"I climbed from my office window onto the tree the V.F.D crows always used." Beatrice said, squeezing Armadillo and Raven who had joined her sister. "I was surrounded by fire and there was no other way."

Kit, Jacques, Sally and Ariadne soon reunited with Beatrice, Sally and Kit crying and Jacques wiping a few stray tears. Sally passed Ariadne to Beatrice, the orphaned youngster nestling into Beatrice's mucky dress, happy that her makeshift family was once again together.

"Oh, Beatrice, we thought you were dead!" Jacques said.

"But we knew somewhere in our heart that you'd find a way out." Sally said, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.

"It's so wonderful to see you again. I don't know what I'd have done without you, my dear friend." Kit said meaningfully, sobbing quietly.

"We need to go now, my friends. The others will already be halfway to the new headquarters." Jacques explained, taking Raven's hand and walking towards the car disguised as a mail truck that would transport the unfortunate bunch of individuals.

"You're right, Jacques. I'll get our cases." Sally offered, picking up the four large suitcases and joining Jacques.

"Come on, Armadillo. Let's get out of here." Kit Snicket said, taking Armadillo's hand and following Sally Sebald. It was only Beatrice Baudelaire, Lemony Snicket and Ariadne Citrusseed left standing before the building now.

"I have to get home, Lemony, to my family." Beatrice told Lemony, handing Ariadne to him for the second time today. "Take good care of this child, Lemony. She has great potential. Keep her safe, for me." She smiled slightly before turning to climb in her black car, and without saying goodbye; she swiftly drove off into the distance. Lemony Snicket stood watching as the love of his life became a tiny speck in the silhouette of the city. He sighed and looked down at Ariadne Citrusseed who was gazing at the city's outline.

"I guess it's just me and you, little one. I'll keep you safe, Ariadne. Don't you worry." Lemony smiled a little before joining his siblings and Sally in the car disguised as a mail truck.

Once everyone was buckled in and there was no spies in sight, Kit, Jacques and Lemony Snicket, Sally Sebald, Raven and Armadillo Arthurstone and little Ariadne Citrusseed drove towards their new destination, their new life. Away from the trauma and misery of the arson attack that destroyed the orphan's home and buried the forgotten V.F.D coded painting, perfectly preserved in the basement.

Away from Count Olaf, who was sitting on the grass in front of the ruins, laughing insanely holding a piece of paper in his hand…a piece of paper which would destroy the lives of 3 children in the near future-a page from the Baudelaire file.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Forgot to do the Disclaimer for the last 3 chapters! Sorry! I do not own any ASOUE stuff except my 3 OCs.**

Chapter Four

Childhood is a vital time in everyone's life. Mostly because it often tells you what your future will look like. It depends on the type of parents you have, and what they think is a 'perfect' child. For example, if you happen to be the daughter of an affluent, a word which here means 'rich and extremely lucky', socialite who lives in a penthouse apartment, lavished with luxuries, then you have an idea that when you grow up you'll be prosperous in work and most probably live in a mansion surrounded by expensive furniture and servants.

If perhaps your parents are successful journalists, you may live in a house on a quiet street, content with a laid-back lifestyle, you have an idea you will live a happy life with a family of your own and the love of your life.

And finally, if you spend your childhood as an orphan working for a secret organisation, with no family, living in unfriendly headquarters which at any moment could be burnt to a crisp by an evil lunatic, you have no idea what unfortunate twist was waiting for you. This was how Ariadne Citrusseed spent her lonely upbringing; from the very day the car disguised as a mail truck reached the summit of the lofty Mortmain Mountains, she felt a cloud of terror form over her head. Only weeks after they had arrived at the secret location, Jacques and Sally had to leave on 'special businesses'. Not long after Raven, Armadillo and Ariadne's room was done with decorating and new furniture, Kit had to attend to some 'recruiting issues'. However, Lemony refused to leave on any special missions and insisted on staying and taking care of the children. When three years had passed Armadillo and Raven were sent to a boarding school with V.F.D children and teachers hidden in amongst the very lucky people who were 'normal'.

With Jacques, Sally and Kit away on exceedingly long expeditions, Armadillo and Raven at boarding school, learning about codes and special files and other very interesting subjects, Ariadne, who was now two years old, was left in the vast building with only miserable Lemony Snicket as company. As Ariadne had observed, now walking and talking a little, Lemony seemed to be gloomy and mournful, as if he'd lost something very dear to him. Ariadne had considered, could this be linked to the strange look in his eyes every time Beatrice called or wrote, and the odd tension when they were together? When it was daytime, Ariadne used to follow him around whilst he worked, hiding behind corners and underneath chairs, studying his lifeless movement and heavy sighs as he trudged through the day. When the sun slowly sunk behind the pointed mountains and the chandeliers were lit, Lemony retreated to the Library, now fully restocked with all the precious books that saved him from the black hole that he was sucked into when the sun dominated the sky. One night when the library was empty, Ariadne had climbed onto a bookshelf and hid behind some thick history books, making a small space at the top for her to see out of, like she did every night. However, the queer thing about this particular night was that Ariadne noticed Lemony take out a book from his briefcase-a book that Ariadne had seen him read once before. It had a hard blue cover, the bumpy coarse kind which you love to feel, with the words 'For Lemony' encrusted in curled calligraphy. It was the size of a regular-sized book and fit perfectly in Lemony's hands. Ariadne leaned forward as Lemony opened the thick book to the first page. Being directly behind the velvet couch where the man sat, she could see everything that was written on the thick pages. Ariadne could not yet read, but she could make out few words like the names of her friends and basic three to four letter words.

"Risens why I clooudnet muree you" Ariadne whispered to herself, leaning over the books to catch a better glimpse, "By Beatrice Bodulare. That book was written by Beatrice! Hmm…"

Lemony sighed and turned the page to reveal a contents page. There were 200 pages explaining why Beatrice couldn't marry Lemony and 13 chapters explaining each reason. Ariadne squinted to try and read the chapter names, but the words were too small and difficult for Ariadne to read before Lemony flipped to page 157 and began to read. After a few minutes, salty tears began to slide down Lemony's cheek. Ariadne was intrigued by Lemony's sudden change in emotion, she leant forwards more and more to get a better view of the incident. Then she pushed forward a little too much. _Bang!_ A large thick history book plummeted to the navy blue carpet. Lemony Snicket swiftly twisted round to see Ariadne sitting on a shelf above him frozen in a startled position.

"Ariadne, what are you doing here?" Lemony whispered, padding over to the orphan and helping her down from the shelf. "How long have you been there?" Lemony quickly wiped the tears from his face and set Ariadne down on the couch.

"Umm, since you got here."Ariadne replied, looking down as Lemony sat beside her, pushing the blue book into his briefcase.

"Did you follow me in here?" Lemony questioned embarrassment and fear in his eyes.

"I guess I need to tell you the truth huh?"Ariadne stuttered and took a deep breath. "I just wanted to see why you were so sad all the time. That's all."

"Me? No, it's just I work very hard all day and I feel very tired." Lemony lied unconvincingly. He picked up the curious child and flung his briefcase over his shoulder. "Come on, it's past your bedtime."

"But why were you crying? Was it Beebe's book?" Ariadne asked inquisitively, a word which here means 'curious and interested".

Lemony struggled to answer the youngster's difficult question. Ariadne's profound lime eyes stared into Lemony's and urged him to answer. After a minute or so, Lemony spluttered a very feeble answer. "B-because it had a very sad story in it, that's all." Which was quite true indeed, for that book was 200 pages filled with depressing and dismal news that Lemony relived every time he read the wretched words. When the two atypical, a word which here means 'odd and unfortunate', characters reached Ariadne's lonesome room, Lemony placed Ariadne inside her cot and leant on the bars whilst she stared up at him with her memorable green eyes. Lemony looked away from her stare at the empty room where 3 children used to live. The walls where Armadillo's drawings used to reside, now bare apart from a photograph of Christopher and Bethany Citrusseed, given to Ariadne by Kit Snicket and a photograph of Armadillo and Raven given to her by them. The desk where Raven's fact books used to be stacked, the bunk-bed where the sisters used to sleep, the toy-trunk that used to be filled with Raven's contraptions and Armadillo's stuffed animals. A yawn from Ariadne broke Lemony's daydream, he turned back to see Ariadne lying with her covers over her. Her eyelids became heavy as she slowly evaluated her discoveries, not led astray by Lemony's half-lie. Lemony smiled, for the first time in many months, with a pleasant gleam in his eye as her softly stroked Ariadne's tufts of midnight brown curly hair. Shocked by the sudden kindness, Ariadne's eyes fluttered open and with a smile, Lemony Snicket gently kissed Ariadne's forehead before disappearing into the black night.

That night was Ariadne Citrusseed's first taste of the secret-her first glimpse at the things that were being kept from her. She knew she needed to know these things, the reasons these aberrant events were bestowed upon her. From that night on she was an investigator.


	5. Chapter 5

**A little bit of romance in this chapter! Only a tiny bit though. **

**Disclaimer- Don't own any ASOUE characters or secret organisations xD**

Chapter Five

As Ariadne grew her knowledge grew as well. Once Gloria (the V.F.D librarian and person who guards the underground library of records) had taught her how to read and write, you would see her sitting in the gaps high in the bookshelves, reading till late at night, scribbling down notes on one of Raven's old notebooks. At the age of seven she would hide and eavesdrop on important conversations and take pictures of suspicious events with the camera Kit had sent for her sixth birthday. When she turned 9 Ariadne was taught how to understand codes, which then became useful in deciphering the overheard conversations and letters she had found blowing in the arctic wind outside. Although she had begun to work within the organisation, reading and filing letters from agents on special missions, she had not found anything that would bring her closer to solving the biggest mystery in the establishment-Lemony Snicket. She knew all about the schism and the two different sides, people who were once good friends and worked together to keep this flammable world from burning, now deadly enemies. Ariadne understood the recruiting process and the history of V.F.D. She could perfectly recall all the past Headquarters. She didn't know it at this moment, but she knew too much for a child of her age.

One bleak morning in the pathetic excuse for summer on the icy Mortmain Mountains, Ariadne sat cross-legged on a patch of grass outside of the headquarters reading _The Advanced Science of Hypnotics. _She was eleven years old now; old enough to take care of herself and fully understand her troublesome life. Her hair was an onyx coloured and curly just like her mother's, although she always tied it back into a braid with a few strands escaping the ribbon. On her nose hung a large pair of square glasses, needed because of too much reading with not enough light. Her small round nose never changed from her childhood and neither did her large green eyes. Ariadne sighed, closed the gargantuan book and looked up and out into the misty horizon. A soft wind blew her hair and Ariadne inhaled the thick mountain air. She hadn't noticed yet, however a small brown automobile was hiking up the slippery slope which twisted around the peak. Grey smoke puffed from the aged vehicle and it whirred and clanked as it drew closer to the headquarters.

Ariadne noticed the unnatural sound penetrated the usual serene atmosphere of the plateaux; she gathered her books and pencils and crept around to the front of the building to observe the newcomers, commonplace book in hand. Once the vehicle had stopped, a tall, slender man with dark brown hair and a black waistcoat emerged and opened the back door. Ariadne leant forward to see better as an extremely tall girl stepped out of the car, her long ruby red hair flying behind her, thin glasses perching on her nose. The girl's eyes were still as deep and blue as an ocean, although they were more tired and despondent, a word which here means 'miserable and down'. The man in the waistcoat then opened the door at the other side to reveal an equally tall girl around the same age as the last. She had shiny black hair, which rested by her shoulders, her fringe completely covering one eye. Her eyes were cavernous and a rich navy blue. After her came a much shorter boy, the same age as Ariadne herself, who looked disorientated and anxious, his hair a coal black and his eyes a rich cacao brown. One thing that Ariadne noticed was he was clutching a purple notebook and there was a pencil in his shirt pocket. A commonplace book, perhaps? Nonetheless, the youngster was not the last person in the car. From the front passenger seat, a familiar woman appeared. As usual, her blonde hair was held in a bun, large sunglasses were hiding her eyes.

"Kit!" Ariadne whispered to herself. The five people entered the building, and Ariadne followed at a safe distance. They stood in the reception in front of Katherine, the 'receptionist' who kept unwanted guests from entering the headquarters. The man in the waistcoat stood forward and looked firmly at the small woman sitting behind the desk. Katherine cleared her throat before speaking.

"Well young lady, have you been good to your mother?"Katherine asked, looking up through her thick round glasses. Ariadne recognised this code, used a lot within the organisation.

"The question is has she been good to me?" The man replied in a gruff voice. Katherine smiled as best she could and typed on her computer.

"Welcome back, Sebastian, Kit and the girls too. It's great to see you. And this is Quigley, I believe, nice to meet you." Katherine said, handing Sebastian some papers. Ariadne, who was hiding behind a sub-alpine potted tree, began to slide closer to the group, taking ultimate care with each step not to make any noise. She crouched behind the desk as the group walked through the green wood doors into the heart of the establishment. Once the five had disappeared, Ariadne took their place in front of the desk and peered over at Katherine.

"Psst, Katherine, where are they going?" Ariadne asked quietly, as Katherine looked up from her computer screen.

"Ugh, Oddy what do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" Katherine groaned. She always saw Ariadne as a burden and felt that a child shouldn't be kept in the headquarters. Also she had to consider the many times she's caught the orphan spying on her.

"My name is _Ariadne, _Katherine. I just need to know where Kit and the other four are going-and quickly!"Ariadne demanded, leaning over the desk.

"Alright, but if I do this will you stay out of my hair?" Katherine offered, and Ariadne nodded. Katherine typed on her computer and looked back the child. "They're headed for your room. Now will you please leave me alone?"

"Okay. Thank you, Katherine." Ariadne replied, and quicker than a spreading fire she was gone. Inside the green doors was a long hallway painted dark green, the only light a chandelier in the centre. As she walked past she noticed many photographs of different people. Each frame had a date on a gold plaque. The one photograph that made her stop and stare, the one that made her mouth take the shape of and O. There was a photograph of Beatrice Baudelaire, her husband Bertrand, the Snicket siblings, Quentin and Lilliana Quagmire and Bethany and Christopher Citrusseed. On the gold plaque it read:

**V.F.D NEOPHYTES**

**SEPTEMBER 1960**

**BAUDELAIRE - SNCIKET - CITRUSSEED - QUAGMIRE**

There was a tiny gasp in the almost empty hallway. Ariadne had not before known her parents were a part of the organisation that saved her life, but also took away theirs. Her finger touched her parents smiling faces and she tried to remember what they'd been like. Every time she tried to think of her parents, images and memories of Kit and Lemony protruded her mind. She shook her head, as if to shake away the unwanted memories, but even then all she could recall was her mother's curly brown hair. Ariadne sighed and continued down the hall, pushing open the wooden door which opened up into a circular room with many different hallways snaking out of it. One lead to the library, one lead to the location offices, one to the research centre, one to the filing offices, etcetera. Ariadne quickly scurried down the one that lead to the dormitory rooms where her bedrooms was. Once the winding corridor ended she peaked round the corner to see three people opening the door to her room. Just as Ariadne was about to follow them, Sebastian slinked up behind her.

"Spying on the newcomers?" Sebastian's deep voice made Ariadne jump and swivel around. Sebastian chuckled and walked past a shocked Ariadne and into her room. After she'd recovered Ariadne followed him inside. Kit, the two tall girls and Sebastian were standing in the middle of the room.

"Is she still here? I mean, does she still live and work here?" the red haired girl asked, looking at the pictures on the wall.

"Yes. Lemony takes care of her. Everybody tries to make it as normal as possible for her. I haven't seen her since I left for Prufrock."Kit said, looking out of the circular window that looked down onto the small 'garden' which consisted of a large oak tree, a patch of grass and a few flowers.

"She would be 11 years old now, right?" the shiny black haired girl asked, looking through the papers on Ariadne's desk. Kit nodded and Ariadne walked into the room, revealing herself for the first time since the arrival of these strange people.

"Who are these people, Kit? Why are they in my room?"Ariadne queried, walking towards the middle of the room, in front of the five people.

"Don't you recognise them?"Kit asked, gesturing towards the two tall girls. She smiled slightly as the boy named Quigley stood looking quite shy.

"It's me, Armadillo." Armadillo said, smiling. Ariadne gasped. How could it be her? Ariadne thought. She looked so different to the cheery youngster with the red pigtails.

"Do you remember me? I'm Raven, remember? We have grown a tad, but I'm still me!" Raven said, struggling with many thick books.

"They have graduated High School and have come to work here for a little while. They wanted to see you first." Kit clarified. Ariadne still had a puzzled look on her face. It was a shock seeing her two friends after eight years, now so grown up and much more serious than before. Ariadne smiled a bit and looked in amazement at Armadillo and Raven then at Kit. "How have you been? It has been a very long time since I've seen you too."

"It's great to see all three of you. Welcome back." Ariadne said, smiling. Kit opened her arms and the two embraced. Ariadne felt safer with her makeshift mother back at the HQ. She smelt the sweet perfume that seemed to be fused into all her clothes. Ariadne stepped back and looked at Kit's tired face, she was still smiling, but her brown eyes were distressed. Ariadne wondered what she had been doing all these years.

"Come on, Armadillo, Raven. We need to show you you're rooms and where you'll be stationed." Kit said, walking over to Sebastian, who was situated by the door with two large suitcases, one purple, one red. "Quigley, you will be sharing Ariadne's room. There will be a new bed and supplies brought down soon."

Once Kit and Sebastian had left the room, Armadillo skipped over to Ariadne and bear hugged her, her feet lifting off the ground.

"Hello! Missed me? I missed you loads!" Armadillo giggled, setting Ariadne down. She young girl panted after the teenager's lung-crushing hug.

"Yes." She respired deeply, trying to catch her breath. "It's been boring around here without you."

"It'll be great reading with someone who enjoys _real _books for once." Raven said, laughing. Armadillo turned and placed her hands on her hips.

"I read _real_ books, Miss Smarty-pants! I just don't read boring old archaeology books!" Armadillo chuckled with her sister. Ariadne watched the twins happy together, wondering how she had survived without a single friend of her own all these years.

"We have to catch Kit up before she gets agitated. We'll see you soon, Ariadne." Raven said softly, dragging her sister by the arm. Quigley was still huddled in the corner, baffled by the sudden events that had been bequeathed upon him-the word 'bequeathed' here means 'dropped upon him in a horridly rapid manor'. Once the Arthurstone siblings had left, Ariadne swivelled around to face the orphaned youngster. She suddenly felt a burning feeling grow in her chest as she felt shy in front of this boy.

"Hello. My name is Ariadne." Ariadne said quietly, holding out her hand. The boy looked perplexed at his situation. But eventually he shook Ariadne's hand timidly.

"I'm Quigley Quagmire, nice to meet you. May I ask where I am?" Quigley asked, smiling bashfully.

"These are the Mortmain Mountains. And we are standing in the V.F.D headquarters. Do you know why you're here?" Ariadne said, sitting down on her bed. She looked at his ruffled black hair; his skin had a strange pallor, a word which here means 'white and sad'. He was still clutching his purple notebook, and Ariadne was still clutching her red one.

"No, I have no idea. What is V.F.D?" Quigley said, looking around the room.

"I cannot tell you what V.F.D is until Kit or one of the other adults tells you. It's quite confidential. Where did you come from" Ariadne asked, looking at the boy's scared and mystified expression.

"I was in the library studying a map of Finite Forest, my two triplets out in the backyard. Then I slowly began to smell the revolting stench of fire. Before I knew it my mother was screaming and my father was shouting my name. I scurried out of the library to see all our furniture ablaze and it was spreading hastily. My mother took me back into the library and lifted up a corner of the rug to reveal a secret door. I hid down there whilst my mother fetched my siblings. I could hear frantic footsteps and the house falling apart above me. Nobody came back and something must have fallen on top of the door because it wouldn't budge."

"How did you escape?" Ariadne asked.

"It turned out to be a passageway, once I'd felt around in the dark. I followed it cautiously until I emerged in the empty home of a herpetologist." Quigley said. "There was a room filled with empty cages, which I presumed used to house reptiles."

"Montgomery Montgomery! He was a herpetologist and a member of V.F.D." Ariadne added.

"Yes. But the place was empty and nobody ever visited. The kitchen was full of food and there was a library where I could research about the building. Then one morning a copy of _The Daily Punctilio _arrived on the doorstep, and there was an article about my parent's death and the fire. My siblings have been sent to Prufrock Preparatory School. That was when Kit and Sebastian arrived in their automobile and whisked me away. My siblings probably think I perished along with my parents, I hope they are okay." Quigley sighed and stared out of the circular window.

"Oh my goodness…" Ariadne paused and looked down at her hands in her lap. "I'm so sorry for such an unpleasant loss. I don't know what to say." Ariadne spluttered, gazing into Quigley's brown eyes. Quigley shook his head, as if to brush away the memories.

"It's alright. At least my siblings, Isadora and Duncan, will be able to carry on life more normal than I will. I just have to deal with it, huh?" Quigley said, smiling sadly. He began to flip through his purple notebook which as Ariadne peered over his shoulder she noticed it was overflowing with snippets of paper and words scrawled around diagrams, photographs and maps. He flicked to the back cover where a black and white photograph of two children, now orphans, and two adults that Ariadne recognised from the photograph in the hallway. "This is Isadora. She is very smart and is an amazing poet, her speciality being couplets." He pointed to the dark haired girl. "This is Duncan. He is a reporter, and very intelligent too. The two adults are my parents, Quentin and Lilliana Quagmire. They were both astounding people and loving parents. What are your parents like?"

Ariadne paused for a moment, remembering that she's only ever spent mere hours with her mother before she breathed her last, and she never even met her father. "My parents. Well," she began quietly, wondering what to say. "My mother was a dendrologist, which word means a person who studies trees and other wooded plants. My father studied the ocean, that's why he was always away from home. He even had his own ship named _Ariadne's Passage _after me. It was docked in Hazy Harbour near to our home. Unfortunately, I…never knew my father, and I was only with my mother for a few hours before they died. But Kit told me how lovely they both were." She smiled poignantly, a word which here means 'sad yet hopeful', as she and Quigley spent a moment coming to terms with their shared misfortune.

"I guess we know how each other feel, huh?" Quigley broke the silence, making Ariadne smile more happily that she'd done in years.

"Yes, I guess we do. Would you like to see the library? It's the best and biggest I've ever seen." Ariadne stood up with the beaming smile as Quigley nodded and walked over to open the door for her, his face as contented as hers. Finally Ariadne had a friend who understood her fully and had a lot in common with her. And she had a strange feeling towards this boy. A feeling she'd never felt before. And as the hours passed the two sat on the comfortable-looking sofas, flipping through book after book, laughing and smiling at each other affectionately, the burning in Ariadne's chest grew more intoxicating as she felt lost in his attractive brown eyes.

That night whilst Quigley was sleeping and the building was silent, Ariadne sat staring into the black sky that was peppered with bright stars. She couldn't sleep because of one word which was infesting her mind.

_Quigley_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The phrase 'coming to terms' is often used when somebody has endured a terrible shock, which takes a few minutes to recover from, and once they have recovered they can come to terms with whatever had shocked them in the first place. For instance, if you were to take an entrance exam for a fancy private school, then when the results were mailed out to you and you shockingly failed, after a few silent minutes, you would have to come to terms with the fact that you would have to continue in the same dreary school for the next 5 years. Perhaps if the accusation of you murdering somebody has made the front page of an unreliable paper, after a few moments of silence you would be able to come to terms with the fact you would have to take the next sailboat out of the country and become a shepherd in the Middle East. The phrase 'come to terms', I'm sorry to say, will worm itself into this sad chapter in Ariadne's story.

"Good Morning Quigley." Ariadne said smiling, as a sleepy-looking Quigley walked into the reception where she was collecting the mail. He looked up and grinned, yawning quietly. It was a few weeks after they had met and her life felt smoother and more normal than before. She felt like she didn't have to be on her guard when with Quigley, that everything in the world was right with him. As she was about to realise, love, I'm afraid to say, doesn't conquer everything.

"Good morning. How are you?"Quigley asked, as he began to help her with the deliveries. He was wearing a white shirt and a red bowtie, black trousers and long white socks with black lace-up shoes.

"Great, thank you. How are you?" Ariadne said, smiling warmly. She turned and leaned on the counter where Simonette, the sub-receptionist (after Katherine at the main desk) looked at the two young orphans with a raised eyebrow, then went back to her computer screen. In a burst of laughter Armadillo burst through the turquoise corridor and into the heart of the HQ, Raven following behind her, clutching books and papers trying to calm Armadillo down. Quigley and Ariadne chuckled quietly at the twins, wondering how they can be related yet completely opposite.

"Hello, Armadillo!" Ariadne called after Armadillo, as she waltzed past her, babbling to herself, and into the corridor heading to the location corridor. Raven paused before the two orphans, panting rapidly. "Good morning, Raven. She's not giving you a day off today then?"

Raven smiled wearily. "It's my job to keep her out of trouble, Ariadne. You know what she's like." Raven replied, as the circular room became neutral once more.

"Try not to let her wear you down too much." Quigley said, his brown eyes sparkling. "You can't take care of her like she's a baby."

Raven smirked at Quigley's advice. "I know, Quigley. I have to go now, so I'll see you later. Goodbye Ariadne, Quigley." Raven said, as she exited through the corridor Armadillo had taken. Quigley looked at Ariadne and both laughed quietly together, Ariadne's jade eyes glittering with happiness.

"Hello, Ariadne." A kind voice made Ariadne leap with fright. She turned to see Kit's tired smile. "Hello Quigley too. Any mail for me today?"

"Hello Kit. I think so." Ariadne greeted her good friend, rifling through the letters she had collected. "Here we go." Ariadne passed her a white envelope which was addresses to her. Quigley and Ariadne watched attentively as Kit carefully opened the letter, which was actually a telegram. The youngsters watched Kit's facial expression change to a horrified grimace as she read the telegram over and over again, as if she was hoping the words would change and the news she had learned was just a hallucination. Quigley was the first to speak.

"Kit, what's wrong?" Quigley asked anxiously, his voice trembling.

"No. No! It can't be! Not now!" Kit muttered, her voice quivering with every syllable. Ariadne touched Kit's shoulder, shocked that it was shaking.

"Kit! What is it?" Ariadne persisted, as Simonette looked up from her work and Quigley put down the other letters. Kit was frozen with shock, unable to hear the children's pleas. Slowly, Ariadne pried the telegram from Kit's cold fingers and held it in front of her and Quigley. Ariadne read the black words aloud.

**FRIENDS OF THE BAUDELAIRE FAMILY,**

**I AM VERY SORRY TO INFORM YOU THAT MISS BEATRICE BAUDELAIRE AND MR BERTRAND BAUDELAIRE HAVE SADLY PERISHED IN A HOUSE FIRE STOP. THEIR 3 CHILDREN, VIOLET KLAUS AND SUNNY, HAVE BEEN PLACED UNDER THE CARE OF THE ACTOR COUNT OLAF STOP. I AM IN CHARGE OF OVERSEEING THEIR FORTUNE BEFORE VIOLET COMES OF AGE STOP.**

**MR. POE**

**VICE PRESIDENT OF ORPHAN AFFAIRS**

**MULCTUARY MONEY MANAGEMENT**

Ariadne did not know how to react. She glanced around the room to see many shocked faces, people had dropped their papers and hands were coving mouths.

Slowly, Quigley's hand took Ariadne's, and the two orphans stood hushed, and unfortunately began coming to terms with the death of one of their dearest friends. And I'm afraid to inform you, another person, one who had just entered the room as Ariadne read the telegram, was finding coming to terms very difficult. For at that frozen moment, Lemony Snicket stood still as he felt the world crumble around him. The first blow was when she didn't marry him; the second was the three offspring that followed marriage, the third and final blow for Lemony Snicket in his troublesome life was the untimely death of his darling, dearest, dead Beatrice.

The three people stood in the circular room in the secret headquarters on a plateau in the Mortmain Mountains, coming to terms with the death of a treasured friend, and the jeopardy their three orphaned children had been placed in.

Lemony was the first to shatter the glass silence the room was blanketed in. He growled ferociously and threw open the door into the turquoise corridor that was lined with photographs. Kit Snicket held her forehead in her hand before sighing and retreating into her office. The people sprinkled around the room gathered their papers and books before carrying on with their business; however they had a heavy weight on their hearts. Ariadne and Quigley, once they'd realised Lemony had left the two orphans scrambled after the man. They reached the centre of the plain reception, realizing that Lemony must have left the complex.

"Ariadne, we have to find him." Quigley said with a hoarse voice. Surprisingly, he and Ariadne's hands were still locked together. "We don't want him doing anything foolish."

"I agree. He must be devastated." Ariadne replied quietly, a desperate frown on her face. The two youngsters rushed through the glass doors and round to the back of the building, where Ariadne's garden was. There sat Lemony Snicket, his legs dangling over the edge of the cliff. Ariadne edged closer to him and placed a kind hand on his shoulder. He turned his head a fraction, then realising it was her he turned fully and gave her his best effort at a smile. Ariadne smiled as best she could and sat next to Lemony, her own feet now dangling next to his.

"I guess it was her time." Lemony managed to squeeze out those few words.

"Lemony, it was…" Ariadne began, stopping to think about how she should finish. "Horridly sudden, but I guess we have to except her fate."

Lemony looked at Ariadne, an inconsolable sorrow in his eyes, 'inconsolable' meaning 'heartbroken and depressed beyond comfort', and he placed his hand on top of hers.

"Thank you." Lemony croaked. He looked at the child he'd promised his dead beloved to protect, and felt proud of what she'd become. Strong-willed, witty, intelligent, kind-hearted, all adjectives to describe Ariadne Citrusseed. "When you were a baby, Beatrice asked me to look after you, Ariadne. To make sure you grew up with the knowledge that is vital in this organisation. She knew you had great potential."

Ariadne blushed at the compliment from her adoptive father and her dead friend. When Ariadne looked up from her feet she and Lemony embraced, just as salty tears began to seep from Lemony's brown eyes. Ariadne closed her eyes and held onto him, as if she was holding onto Lemony in order to keep him from falling apart. Once the two had detached, they stood and Lemony began to walk back to the headquarters, Ariadne standing on the thick green grass, watching him. Quigley walked towards her from where he had observed the scene and took Ariadne's hand. Everything seemed reasonable at this moment in time, as the two children stood looking at each other. Nonetheless, a though pricked Ariadne's mind like a pin, a though which would send her into a spiralling cavern of doom, of course she didn't know that at that moment. A concerned look crept over her face, and she let go of Quigley's hand and began to run towards the transparent reception.

"Ariadne! Where are you going?" Quigley called after her, following her into the reception.

"The Baudelaires! Violet, Klaus and baby Sunny!" Ariadne yelled, dashing through the tedious glass room and into the thick turquoise corridor. "I just remembered, they've been sent to Count Olaf!"

Quigley realised the dire situation those orphans were in. He quickened his pace, and by the time Ariadne had reached the circular room that had several corridors leading to different rooms, Quigley had caught her up. He took her by the shoulders and held her in front of him.

"Ariadne, what can we do about it? They're all the way in the city." Quigley informed Ariadne, and she looked into his eyes with a sincere edge.

"Quigley, Count Olaf killed my parents. I'm not going to let him ruin the lives of the Baudelaires." Ariadne said, squirming out of his grasp. "I'll pack a bag and hitch-hike the next automobile to the city."

"Ariadne, look at the telegram." Quigley picked up the telegram from Simonette's desk. "The date on the telegram is from 4 weeks ago. It was sent before I even arrived here. The Baudelaires could be anywhere now."

Ariadne looked at Quigley with a sad look. She had just realized the sad truth, that, indeed, the Baudelaire orphans could be anywhere in the world now. However as Ariadne looked closer at the telegram she realised a way should could locate the orphans.

"Quigley Quagmire! Thank you!" Ariadne gasped, hugging the startled boy tightly. "I'll call Mr. Poe and ask him about the Baudelaires! Thank you Quigley!"

What the young girl did next shocked and elated Quigley to an amazing extent. Her vivid green eyes twinkling with excitement, Ariadne kissed Quigley softly on his red cheek. Although the kiss only lasted a few seconds, Quigley felt like time had slowed down and he and Ariadne were the only people in the world. He stood still as Ariadne's tender pink lips caressed his cheek and he wanted to move his hand to her side, but he stood motionless until realising that Ariadne had disappeared down the winding corridor to the location room. After blinking numerous times and regaining power of his limbs, he touched the place where Ariadne's lips had contacted, and for the second time today, began coming to terms with the amazing event that occurred.


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own ASOUE (Unfortunately :P)**

Chapter Seven

"Hello," a hoarse voice answered the large black telephone that Ariadne was holding with two hands. She was in the location centre, in the telephone section sitting on the counter with her commonplace book in her lap and pen behind her ear. "Mulctuary Money Management. Vice President of Orphans Affairs, Mr. Poe speaking."

"Hello there. I am a close friend of the Baudelaire family, and I was going to inquire about the Baudelaire children. Their whereabouts and wellbeing, of course." Ariadne spoke in the most mature voice she could muster. Her face had a resolute expression, her eyebrows furrowed and her jade eyes sharp.

"I see. Well, I am very sorry for the loss and the children seem to be going through some," Mr. Poe paused to cough quite violently before continuing."Unfortunate events at the moment."

"I received a telegram notifying me that the children had been sent to live with Count Olaf." Ariadne persisted, scribbling notes into her red notebook.

"Yes, well, that did not last very long. Count Olaf is a vile, sinister man. When the children were first sent to live with him, he forced them to cook for him and his accomplices, clean his grimy house and," Mr. Poe paused to cough once again. "Attempted to secretly marry Violet in order to inherit their fortune. Although his heinous crime was foiled, Count Olaf escaped."

"Where did the orphans go next?" Ariadne asked, scrawling words into her commonplace book.

"To live with their distant cousin, herpetologist Montgomery Montgomery." When Mr. Poe paused to cough again, Ariadne realised that Monty Montgomery was a member of V.F.D., her side this time. "They did have a nice time with 'Uncle Monty' as they called him; however it wasn't long until that despicable Count Olaf showed up. He disguised himself as Stephano, Monty's new assistant. He had us all fooled, apart from Violet, Klaus and Sunny. Monty was unfortunately murdered with venom from a snake by Count Olaf and he attempted to run away with the orphans to Peru. He was stopped, of course, but he escaped again." Mr. Poe concluded before a long, rasping cough. Ariadne sighed and realised she might be too late to save the Baudelaires.

"What happened to the poor children?" Ariadne asked, propping the telephone on her shoulder.

"They were then handed over to another distant cousin, Josephine Anwhistle who lived near Lake Lachrymose. I believe they had a pleasant time whilst in her company, yet Count Olaf quickly made the scene." Mr. Poe's coughs began to become tedious, but allowed Ariadne to copy down more information. "He was disguised this time as Captain Sham, a sailboat salesman who manipulated Josephine into leaving the children to him once she's faked her own death. Shocking, but once his real identity was uncovered, he escaped with an accomplice that looked neither man nor woman."

"I see. Do you know the whereabouts of the children now, Mr. Poe?" Ariadne inquired, her hand resting on her paper. Suddenly, Quigley slowly sneaked through the green wood door and when Ariadne noticed him she put her finger to her lips, indicating for him to be quiet.

"They are at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill, in Paltryville past Finite Forest. The three are under the care of Mr. Duy…Mr. Que… Mr. Chi…I'm afraid I cannot pronounce his name but he is the co-owner of the Lumbermill. Count Olaf seems to be staying away this time. However, due to a few accidents that Klaus Baudelaire caused, Sir, the owner's nickname, has considered handing the children over to a kind optometrist receptionist named Shirley."

Ariadne thought this 'kind receptionist' sounded suspicious, and, as she would find out, she was right. "Thank you very much, Mr. Poe. You have been a massive help to me. Have a nice day." Ariadne said before Mr. Poe said goodbye and she placed the large black telephone on its stand and turned to Quigley. She smiled timidly, recalling their last meeting.

"Who did you call?" Quigley asked his voice shy and squeaky. He peered at Ariadne's notebook.

"It was Mr. Poe, from Mulctuary Money Management. He is in charge of the Baudelaire estate until Violet comes of age. I asked him where the Baudelaire's have been sent, and it seems Count Olaf had followed them where ever they happened to be." Ariadne admitted, pushing her glasses closer to her eyes.

"They were sent to Count Olaf, where they not?" Quigley assumed, taking out his purple notebook and a pencil from behind his ear.

"At first they were, yes." Ariadne notified him, going on to explain what Mr. Poe had just told her.

"So they are in Paltryville, at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill." Quigley repeated, scribbling notes into his commonplace book. "Shirley sounds a little 'Count Olaf disguise' to me. Why else would a receptionist want 3 orphans so desperately? Do you see what I mean?"

Ariadne nodded. "Yes, I was thinking the same thing." Ariadne began packing away her commonplace book and pencil, before jumping from the square counter where the telephone stood. "I did a little eavesdropping," She began, leaning closer to Quigley in a secretive manner, "and Sebastian and Gloria are leaving for the city tonight at 9pm sharp. If we hurry up after dinner, we'll be able to sneak into the trunk before they arrive. Katherine will never notice because she reads _The Daily Punctilio _after dinner." Ariadne had a serious, yet excited look as she headed for the door.

"B-but Ariadne," Quigley stuttered, taking her wrist to slow her down. "It's…dangerous out there. And what if Count Olaf finds us?"

Ariadne looked at Quigley's scared face, the twinkle in his cacao brown eyes replaced with a frightened shimmer. She realized what she was about to do could put her life at risk-and her best friend's. "Quigley, I…I have to do this. I can't let the Baudelaires lives be ruined, I've already said this. If you don't want to come then I won't force you." Ariadne swiftly darted from the room and back to her room, hurt by the harsh words she had let loose.

It was roasted beef for dinner, splendidly prepared by Kit Snicket. All the members sat at the two long rectangular tables with benches at each side. There were many members, but only few, the few who were accused criminals and wanted fugitives, stayed at the one safe place for V.F.D. members. That meant the benches were empty, only a couple of people peppered in little groups. Lemony, Kit, Sebastian and some others who Ariadne could not recall the names of, sat in a group at one end of the first table, with Quigley and Ariadne sat at the opposite end of the second. Dinner was awkward that night, as the lavender scented candles were lit at various points in the headquarters and the lamps were switched on. Not because the food was unpleasant, but because Quigley and Ariadne felt anxious, about the deceptive, a word which here means 'sneaky and untrustworthy', act that would take place after their meals.

Once their plates and silverware were placed by the sink, the two accomplices grabbed their backpacks from their room and snuck past Katherine, who was beguiled by _The Daily Punctilio _strangely, and out into the bleak night. Encompassed by darkness that surrounded them like a coffin, the two orphans felt around until they discovered the smooth bonnet of Gloria's shiny navy automobile. Foolishly, Gloria had left it unlocked, which meant Ariadne and Quigley could climb into the trunk unnoticed. It was cramped and claustrophobic, but the two managed to squirm their way into each corner. The slam of the clear glass doors of the fake reception made Ariadne jump. Gloria's loud laughter echoed through the cold night air and Sebastian's low chuckles accompanied it. The automobile rocked as the two oblivious adults stepped in. With a thump Gloria's bag was thrown into the trunk, landing close to Ariadne, startling her. For the entire journey, before the orphans fell asleep, Gloria's loud voice rang in their ears and  
Sebastian's sinister low voice sent shivers up their spines. Ariadne wondered how Gloria could work in a library for so long with such a booming voice.

Ariadne and Quigley awoke when a noisy truck rumbled down the road where the automobile was parked. Ariadne slowly opened the trunk and looked at her watch.

"It's 10:30am, Quigley. We have a half hour to get to the station." Ariadne said, climbing out of the car and stretching. They were parked in front of a fancy-looking French restaurant on 141 Dark Avenue, cars were driving past and people were walking down the street, most of them wearing pinstripe suits. The large sign above the door into the restaurant stated _Veritable French Diner:"Le Monde Ici, C'est Calme". _Ariadne did not understand French; however she did understand the art of secrecy. Veritable French Diner-they really should try harder to hide their secret meeting places. Ariadne shook her head and turned to Quigley who was still stretching. She smiled at him, feeling the urge to embrace him.

"Remind me to never allow you to talk me into anything ever again, Miss Citrusseed!" Quigley laughed as he quietly closed the cover of the trunk and walked over to the sidewalk, where he and Ariadne began to walk.

"I'm sorry. Maybe, after we make sure the Baudelaires are okay, we can look for your siblings, huh?" Ariadne said, smiling hopefully. They turned a corner and were immersed in morning sunlight.

"Yes," Quigley replied, holding his hand over his eyes to block the sunlight. "I would really love that. But let's focus on the Baudelaires right now." And, with those words, the two friends walked to the train station with moments to spare. Ariadne bravely bought two one-way tickets to Paltryville and leaped on the train before anyone could take note of her appearance.

Train journeys, as I'm sure you will know, are usually a pleasant experience. You can take time to, perhaps, read a book or unreliable newspaper, and admire the scenery as you race past or maybe chat with an accomplice. However, I am sorry to inform you, Quigley and Ariadne's journey to Paltryville wasn't as pleasurable as I'd like to believe. The two children sat opposite each other next to a grimy window surrounded by grave, a word which here means 'serious and severe', looking people wearing pinstripe suits. Some were sitting down on the torn grubby seats reading _The Daily Punctilio, _their mean faces occasionally glancing at the youngsters with sour looks. Others stood up, boasting with their friends about such childish subjects as "I'm the 5th innest person in the city this week, Gertrude," or "Did you hear, Michael? Pink florescent false nails are in!" Each time the train screeched to a stop, more and more austere people stepped on to the train. By the time the thick straight trees of Finite Forest ended and Paltryville came into view, the train was packed with strange and miserable looking people. Ariadne and Quigley had to squeeze their way out of the train car and onto the deserted streets of Paltryville. Although they were free of the crowded train carriage, they weren't free of their unlucky fate.

The first major disappointment of the orphans' journey would begin when they stood in front of the oddly familiar eye-shaped building, staring at the front page of _The Daily Punctilio _which was sat on the welcome mat.

**MURDER AT LUCKY SMELLS LUMBERMILL!**

When the friends ventured inside the building, it was deserted; the only thing left was the furniture, a receptionist named Shirley's nameplate and some notes. Whilst Ariadne explored the reception, Quigley skimmed the article to discover that the Baudelaire orphans had been involved in the murder of Dr. Georgina Orwell and the discovery of a disguised Count Olaf. From the note left on the Shirley's desk, she found that the Baudelaires had been sent to Prufrock Preparatory School. From then on, Ariadne kept a small journal in her commonplace book, chronicling their unfortunate journey.

_We are in Paltryville, in Dr. Georgina Orwell's optometrists. Dr. Orwell was killed in an accident _The Daily Punctilio _mistook as a murder. We are too late. From some notes in Jacques Snicket's handwriting left in this peculiar eye-shaped building, I have learned that the Baudelaires are at Prufrock Prep, where I hope the Quagmire orphans will still be. _

"We are too late." Quigley finally admitted, following Ariadne out of the building and onto the streets which were lined with piles of old newspapers.

"Quigley, the Baudelaires are at Prufrock Prep, all the way back in the city. I think I have enough money to buy us two tickets back to the City, but we'd be on our own from there." Ariadne said, with a sincere look at Quigley. "But, don't you remember? Isadora and Duncan might be at Prufrock."

Quigley felt that little bit more encouraged by the feeling he might see his siblings again, so that night the two huddled together under the station shelter with one of Ariadne's blankets over them. The next day they leaped onto the disgusting train which was still packed with ugly, austere individuals bragging about their 'in' style and endured the horrid journey. The city was cloudy and dull the morning Ariadne and Quigley started their gruelling, a word which here means 'tiring and nasty", trudge through the Schooling District of the odd city they had grown to know.

_It is 12pm and Quigley and I are walking through the Schooling District. Children were running about here and there, some happily playing with skipping ropes, others reading books. Prufrock Preparatory School was the largest in the district, right at the end of the long road which, like the trunk of a tree, spanned out into many different lanes. I earnestly hope we have found the Baudelaires, and Count Olaf hasn't got at them yet._

I regret to have to tell you that Ariadne's hopes were cruelly crushed by the fist of misfortune. I say this because, as the poor orphan would discover, the Orphan's Shack was empty. Ariadne searched and searched, but the only evidence she could find were some hand-made staples, some empty salt shakers, a pair of shoes with pieces of metal glued to the bottom and, yet again, notes. No sign of the Baudelaire siblings. No sign of the Quagmire orphans. No sign of hope shown across the two intrepid, a word which here means 'brave but unlucky', children. They were too late, again.

"They're not here, Ariadne." Quigley cried quietly, clutching his commonplace book. "We missed them, but this time we missed my siblings too."

Ariadne hopped her way to the bales of hay which served as beds, stepping out of the way of the snapping crabs that made tedious clicking noises. "The notes states that Count Olaf disguised as Coach Genghis and made the Baudelaires partake in S.O.R.E., which stands for 'Special Orphan Running Exercises'." She ducked out of the way of a drop of fungus juice before continuing. "The Quagmire triplets tried to help the Baudelaires with their situation, but were kidnapped by Olaf and his partners. The Baudelaires have been placed under the care of the City's sixth most important financial adviser, Esmé Squalor. The Quagmires whereabouts are unknown."

A gloomy look riveted over Quigley's face as he joined Ariadne on the uncomfortable bales of hay. He opened his commonplace book to where the photograph of his siblings was. Their faces, so similar to his, were happy next to their parents, whose faces beamed with sheer glee. That day felt like a distant memory to Quigley, back when their parents were alive, when their siblings weren't being held hostage by a revolting criminal, back when his life wasn't a black hole of misery which he was falling through. Ariadne pulled out her pen and began to write.

_The Baudelaires are gone. The Quagmire triplets are kidnapped. Quigley and I feel like a cloud of unluckiness is forever darkening our lives. We have to travel to 667 Dark Avenue in the City quickly if we want to stand a chance of reaching our goal. Quigley looks sadder than I've even seen him before. I don't know what I should do to comfort him._

Wherever these brave and unfortunate orphans travelled, their misery always followed. Whether it was standing before of an abandoned Veblen Hall, with doilies blowing in the wind and ripped flyers for the 'In Auction' pinned on the door, or in front the Fowl Fountain in Village of Fowl Devotees, the beak open to reveal a secret chamber inside, or the charred remains of Heimlich Hospital, the two were always too late to catch the Baudelaire orphans.

"Why?" Quigley cried, waving his arms in the air. He and Ariadne were stood in Madame Lulu's tent at a desolate Caligari Carnival, her smashed fortune-telling ball still sat on the table that hid her archival library underneath. "Why are we so unlucky? Why do we always miss them? This is fifth time we've trekked to the location described in Jacques's notes, then in some other V.F.D. member after he died, and this is the fifth time we've been too late!"

"Calm down, Quigley." Ariadne comforted, whilst examining Madame Lulu's library. Quigley growled lividly and smashed his fist down on the table, startling Ariadne. She stood up and took both Quigley's hands, noticing they were trembling. She smiled forlornly and his eyes softened from the sharp, intense brown to the romantic, sparkling cacao. "Don't get so angry about things." Ariadne spoke quietly as she patted Quigley's hand. "We will find them, I promise. We are going to head back to the Mortmain Mountains, which, thankfully, are quite near. Come on, Quagmire. This last time, please trust me."

Quigley smiled tenderly and stuffed some supplies into his backpack before joining Ariadne on their last hike up the slippery slope towards the Mortmain Mountains. Towards Ariadne's home, the V.F.D. headquarters, towards her friends who were probably worried about her and Quigley-towards the Baudelaires, the 3 orphans that began their fruitless journey.

**Next chapter will be the climax or whatever you call it! ^-^ Please Reveiw! xD**


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